Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Season seven of The Office is in many ways the end of the series... well, actually in just one very major way: its Steve Carrell's last season, and without Michael Scott there is just no way the series can ever again be the same. It's not just Steve's one in a billion comedic talents that the show loses, it's also the intricately constructed dynamic between the characters. The teleplay of the entire cast that has developed into such a perfectly functioning comedy machine is something that cannot exist in the same way without Michael. The secret weapon of The Office is its spectacularly talented cast, but in a strange way, the loss of one (especially when we're talking about the main character) is enough to offset the chemistry of the entire cast. Michael Scott was the centerpiece of the ensemble, and without him, every single one of the characters loses something, whether it's their direct interaction with Michael that brought out the best in their performance while creating a one of a kind comedy team (particularly true of Jim and Dwight), or the complex balance of diverse comedic styles from one scene to the next that made each character's role seem so different and important. The talented cast may easily survive the departure of Steve Carrell, but the show can never be the same without him.So, how does Steve's announcement to leave the series affect season seven? Well, first of all, Michael is clearly, and often awkwardly, pushed to the sidelines in order to instantly faze him out. The character that was for six seasons the driving force of every single episode is now rarely featured in the same capacity. There are very few episodes that allow him to take center stage and this hurts the show, badly. There are far more B-stories, and sometimes C-stories, that feature the rest of the cast.Read more ›

I am a massive fan of The Office and have watched it since it first aired in 2005. I thought the first 5 seasons minus the last 2 episodes of Season 5 were fantastic. Season 6 was inconsistent and was filled with some hilarious episodes and alot of episodes that I didn't care for at all. Season 7 is similar. The episodes that I did find to be quite funny are PDA, The Search, and Todd Packer. The rest were OK at best. To further complicate things this is also the final season featuring Steve Carell as Michael Scott. Towards the end of season 7, Will Ferrell makes appearences in 4 episodes as a potential replacement but this was a disappointment as the episodes provide for minimal laughs. In the final episodes a number of actors make guest appearences as additional candidates for the job of manager at Dunder Mifflin including Ricky Gervais as David Brent who was the manager of Wernham Hogg on the original BBC version of The Office. This got me a bit excited and led me to believe that he would eventually replace Michael. Unfortunately that was not the case. This along with Season 6 are not the best representations of the show. Seasons 1-5 were all fantastic and to any new fan of The Office I would recommend any of the first 5 rather than 6 and 7.

Love this season. So many of the episodes highlight the continued talent of the writers and actors such as Nepotism, China, Ultimatum, Threat Level Midnight and Garage Sale. Throughout the season you can feel Michael being given less parts and less focus on his character. Not that we don't enjoy his antics but it makes sense and its great to see some other characters shine. I particularly enjoy Creed but who doesn't enjoy a crazy, old person. All around the development of the ensemble is great.

I know a lot of people have objected to this season because the show doesn't focus on Michael as much as it has in the past. Lets remember that the show did not phase Michael out because they were trying to cut Steve Carell out. Mr. Carell CHOSE to leave to pursue other work. We can't blame him for wanting to try something new but the lose of his character is not NBC's fault and I'm sure they are doing the best they can to maintain the unity of the show. I feel they have done a great job. There is still a little void in the show and each episode that does not have Michael in it. I eagerly await the eighth season though because I have full faith in the writers and actors that made the show so great. It was not Steve Carell's performance alone that made the show one of the most influential comedies in recent history.

This show has had many peaks and valleys and while it remains to be seen how the 7th season will eventually play out, this episode is one of the best in years. If you are an old school Office fan and liked the show for it's more restrained and heart warming moments, this episode offers that. It still has the over the top broadness of recent history, however, those moments fit into this episode, "Andy's Play", seamlessly.

Remember season 2/3 when the show had the ability to make you laugh so much you nearly choked to having sympathy/empathy for a character(s) in a devastating emotional moment to having you wipe tears out of your eyes to see the whole cast involved in something together whether it was silly or poignant (or both)? That's the kind of stuff "Andy's Play" has.

There isn't one false step in this episode; everything works. That's something I haven't been able to say for this show over the majority of the last 2 seasons. There have been great episodes scattered throughout those two seasons (sometimes even in stretches) but not on a consistant basis.

For this season while some episodes haven't been as funny as others the believability factor has been there early into this season. And for this episode everything came together again...not only is it believeable but it is hilarious and emotionally compelling. And from what I know about what next week's episode is about, things are looking good for the show to ride this wave of greatness.